Sermons

How People Can Respond to Jesus’ Resurrection Week 84 – Matthew 28:1-17 – 11/2/25

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Sermon Series: We are currently going through a sermon series in the Gospel of Matthew. Today, we’re talking about the passage of Scripture where we read about the resurrection.   

 The Resurrection

28 Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he[a]lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him.10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

The Report of the Guard

11 While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. 12 And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers 13 and said, “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.

The Great Commission

16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.

In this part of God’s Word, we see people react to Jesus’ resurrection. By taking a look at their reactions, we can learn how to react to Jesus, as well as interact with others, and point them towards Jesus. 

Responses to Jesus’ Resurrection:

  1. Some become paralyzed

Matt. 28:4, Luke 11:27-28, 16:1-9, James 1:22

  1. Some worship

Matt. 28:4-9, 16-17a, Rom. 12:1, Heb. 13:15, Ps. 71:8

  1. Some haven’t heard yet

Matt. 28:10, Rom. 10:14-15, Is. 52:7, Acts 8:31

  1. Some seek other

Matt. 28:11, Gal. 1:10, 1 Thess. 2:4, Eph. 6:6, Prov. 18:2

  1. Some seek evil ways

Matt. 28:12-14, Ps. 141:4, Prov. 11:27, Is. 5:20

  1. Some follow evil ways

Matt. 28:15, 1 Thess. 5:22, Eph. 5:11, Rom. 12:9, 21

  1. Some doubt

Matt. 28:17b, Mark 9:22-24, Matt. 11:2-5, 21:21

Reflecting on God’s Word

Getting Started

  • Take some time to read over Matthew 28:1-17 and pray. 
  • Have you ever read or heard about this before? What stood out to you as we were talking about it? 
  • What surprised you as we talked about it?
  • As you reflect on this part of God’s Word, put yourself in the place of the people of this story. How do you think you have reacted? Why?

Diving In 

  1. Read Matthew 28:4. Some people don’t do anything when they hear about the good news of Jesus. Have you ever had a season of your life when that was the case for you? If so, what caused you to start taking Jesus’ death and resurrection seriously? Who in your life has heard the Gospel, but hasn’t started following Jesus? How can you remember to pray for them, and invite them to follow Jesus? 
  1. Read Romans 12:1-2. As we talked about in the message, worship isn’t just singing at church, but surrendering your whole life over to God. Is there anything that you are struggling to surrender to God during this season of your life? If so, what, and what step(s) do you need to take next to hand that over to God? 
  1. Read Matthew 28:10. Some haven’t yet heard about the good news of Jesus Christ. Who in your life hasn’t heard yet, and how can you prayerfully tell them about the Gospel? 
  1. Read Matthew 28:11. Instead of leaning in to the message of Jesus, some of the guards sought others’ opinions of how to react to what had happened. When you’re struggling to know what to do, is your natural inclination to seek others’ opinions, or God’s? How can you better prioritize God’s Word instead of others’ words? 
  1. Read Matthew 28:17. It’s difficult to believe, but even after witnessing Jesus being raised from the dead, there were still some who doubted. Why do you think this is? Have you ever struggled with doubt? 

Applying the Scripture

What are your biggest takeaways from this passage of God’s Word? 

  • What practical step(s) do you need to implement in your life to apply what God has taught you in this passage of Scripture? 
  • How would applying this affect your life and your relationship with the Lord? 
  • Who can you ask to keep you accountable to applying this to your life?

 




 

 

Small Group Guide:

Open with prayer.

Go around and give everyone a chance to share about how the past week has been. What’s one highlight? What’s one lowlight?

If your small group has talked about it before, feel free to use this time to hold people accountable to what they’ve asked to be held accountable for previously, and go through the “missional” part of this discussion guide.

Prayer Time:

Pray for each other in your small group to be faithful take the step(s) that you shared above. Pray for each other and the interactions that they have with those who don’t know Jesus. Pray that God would soften the people’s hearts to what He has for them. Pray that God would give everyone opportunities to share the Gospel.

Staying Missional:

Share spiritual/missional conversations you’ve had where you live, work, and play:

Who did you have a conversation with that took a spiritual/missional turn this week?
What questions did you ask to discover where God is at work in their life, even if they are not aware?
How were you able to share your story of life change or how you have experienced Jesus?
How can you be intentional this week with people where you live, work, and play to have spiritual/missional conversations if the opportunity arises?
Who in your life do you think could be discipleable or open to spiritual/missional conversations?

What’s next?

Discuss the next step for your small group. When will we gather again and what purpose will it fulfill?